March 21st is going to be a day full of Confusion and anxiety for those I advocate for!
By Kendall Worth!
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| from: sanangelolive.com |
As is well known, on March 21st, 2022 the mask wearing requirement for indoor public places, plus other public health measures and restrictions are being lifted. Right now welfare recipients are asking themselves questions like:
Given no restrictions, how do we prepare ourselves for a “new normal”?
With us not having the same resources as the financially-better-off , what is protection going to look like for us, after the 21st?
How soon are the approx 20% of IA recipients, that have good community and family support, going to feel comfortable reconnecting with friends and family members? They will want to get together now that things are back to what “normal use to look like”?
Is the fact that many people will not be wearing masks starting on the 21st of March going to cause yet another wave?
Considering that yet another wave of COVID could happen, even if the Soup Kitchens and Drop-ins reopen for in-person dining, will we want to go back attending these places, at this point?
In the eyes of the welfare recipients I advocate for, the government is not giving the public any information on what a “new normal” is going to look like, after mask wearing, distancing, and reduced #’s allowed in spaces, are all removed on the 21st. Welfare recipients are scared that just returning to “everyone looking after themselves”, is going to increase the number of cases. However, welfare recipients, just like every-one-else-in-society, seem to understand that we cannot keep things locked down and live pandemic lives forever.
At this time there are a lot of mixed feelings, especially anxiety related emotions, going through the minds of people living in poverty. I want to take a moment to go back to this BLOG post where I touched on the mixed feelings of welfare recipients, at least the ones that are known to me, during this time of COVID restrictions, lock-downs, and public health measures.
In this post, I talked about some major events that added fuel to the fire of the way people-living-in-poverty were already feeling. And in this post I touched on more examples of adding fuel to the fire of anxiety and concern. In that same post I touched on how lack of resources make it difficult to follow all the changes in restrictions and Public Health protocols/measures.
Over these past couple of years while living with COVID safety protocols, the lives of welfare recipients have changed, with increasing isolation being the biggest problem. I have recently been talking to some of the 20% of welfare recipients who are still attached to family and friends, who told me that they went to their Income Assistance Caseworkers asking for the cost of private counselling, to be covered as a special need. These welfare recipients feel they need some sort of counselling in order to adjust to getting back into “normal life” following March 21st 2022. They got told by their Income Assistance Caseworkers that the cost of such counselling is not covered by Community Services. Also if you ask your family doctor for a referral to counselling, you will discover that private counselling is not covered by MSI (your NS Health Insurance plan) either.
What is really scary is Public Health officials are telling us that COVID is going to be with us forever. But, it is well known that the folks living in poverty do not have the same resources that other people do. My informants know and understand that following March 21st, they are going to be able to associate in a much larger bubble than what was allowed while living the life of COVID restrictions. But, some welfare recipients are telling me, for example, that when restructuring their new “bubble”, they do not want to include too many more people than they associate with now. Some are also telling me that they do not want their new bubble to include anyone who is older or who have chronic health conditions, or are immune compromised. These same people also agree that breaking the news to them is going to be easier said than done. However, it is understandable hesitation – it is all about protecting one/another. After all, we do not want to see the already stick, get sticker. Other informants tell me that they want to make sure that family and friends had all three shots of their COVID vaccine before they make plans to re-connect with people.
Several welfare recipients tell me that the want get out of their COVID comfort zones in a slow and careful process. They are worried that others who want to see them are going to move too fast. Throughout the whole pandemic, welfare recipients have stuck with-in with their COVID comfort zone for the most part. Exceptions include: those who have part-time jobs and go to work; and attending medical appointments. I talked to some welfare recipients who told me they avoided dental appointments throughout this pandemic. The thought of opening their mouths for the dentist made them feel uncomfortable while their was still COVID circulating.
SO the question is : “What Next with living the new Normal?”
Wait and see I guess!
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